Austin, Texas · local news
The news that matters if you live here
Austin changes faster than almost any city in the country, and most of what's written about it is aimed at people thinking of moving in. This is the other thing, a plain, honest read on the growth, the business, the civic fights and the culture, for the people already here.
What we cover
A straight read on a city that won't sit still
There's no shortage of Austin coverage, but a lot of it is a highlight reel for newcomers, or a press release wearing a headline's clothes. We try to do the quieter, more useful thing: explain what actually happened this week, who it touches, and why it's worth your attention. Growth and housing, the companies moving in and laying off, the decisions at City Hall and the Capitol, and the music, food and street life that make the place worth the traffic.
Original reporting our own wordsNo clickbait everWe link our sources then move onFree to read no signup
We write our own take, in our own words. When a number or a quote comes from someone else, we name them and link to them, and we never republish another outlet's lists or roundups as our own.
The beats
Three threads we keep pulling
Growth & development
Where the cranes are, what's breaking ground, and how a decade of breakneck building is reshaping neighborhoods, rents and the commute. The story Austin can't stop telling about itself.
Business & tech
The companies planting flags here, the ones quietly pulling back, the funding rounds and the layoffs. Chips, software, real estate and the restaurants in between, who's hiring, who's leaving, and what it means for the rest of us.
Civic & culture
City Council and the Capitol, the ballot fights and the budget lines, plus the music rooms, taco counters and street art that are the actual reason people stay. The governing and the living, side by side.
On the ground
A city changing fast, block by block
South Congress, East Austin, the eastern crescent out past the airport, the map is being redrawn one lot at a time. We follow what that growth does to the people already living on those blocks: the rents, the small businesses, the parking, the character that drew everyone here to begin with. Change isn't the story; who it lands on is.
Follow the money
The companies, the capital and the cranes
Austin's economy runs hot and cold at the same time, a chip plant lands a nine-figure incentive the same month a software firm trims its headcount. We track both halves honestly: the headquarters announcements and the quiet exits, the construction that's real and the renderings that never happen.
Start here
Where to dig in
The whole archive is open and free. A few front doors into it:
The news archive
Everything we've published, newest first, hundreds of pieces on Austin business, growth, civic life and culture.
Who we read
The reporters, agencies and public records we lean on. We name them and link them, so you can check the work.
Background & research
Deeper explainers and reference material for the stories that need more than a headline to make sense.
From the news desk
Recent from Austin
A few pieces worth your time this week:
Apollo Global picks Austin for a second base
A Wall Street heavyweight plants a second headquarters in town, what it signals and who it hires.
Texas backs Samsung's chip plant with $250M
A nine-figure state grant for Central Texas semiconductors, the incentive, and the jobs behind it.
A mass-timber office tower opens in East Austin
Wood instead of steel and concrete, a new building that bets on a greener way to build up.
P. Terry's moves toward employee ownership
A homegrown burger chain hands a stake to the people who run the counters.
The living part
Keep up with Austin
The growth and the governing matter, but so do the murals, the music and the food. One honest feed for all of it, kept current. Start with the questions most people ask first.